Increase in motorist red light runners?

C_Mababejive

Is it just me or is the number of people running red lights on the rise? I drive at work 24/7/365 in all weathers,makes no difference,if i need to be out there then im out there.

When you drive all the time you develop a mindset and behaviour where quite simply, you are compliant, laid back and relaxed..a pootler.

I can now regularly see people jumping reds.

They come in a few categories..

a)The ones who simply dont see that there are traffic lights and rive right through

b)The ones who come up to the light and it has just changed and they just whip through anyway

c)The ones who are stopped at a red, get fed up and just go

Of them all id say group B are the most prevalent.

Now close to me there is a very complex roundabout with motoraway and A road links off it. It has traffic lights on it at several points and lane crossovers. There have been many accidents on it and fatalities usually involving cyclists and pedestrians.

This very week i was approaching the roundabout having come off the motorway. There are lights at the entry to the roundabout,as i approach they are on green. To my right just at entry to rounabout are three lanes of trafficbeing held on a RED. I know there is a real danger of red light jumpers,,true enough, as i enter the rounabout, lanes 1 and 2 to my right stay still on the RED and as i approach lane 3, a white 4X4 of some kind just blazes through and having anticipated, i brake gently and toot,,being wary of a possible rear ender on me.

Now i know why he did it. The roundabout is so complex that drivers get anxious and try and whip round it quickly, but really,they need to slow down and concentrate,,go around it again if you have to.

Red light jumping,,it isnt worth it. At best you will get away with it or get flashed by a camera/observed by a copper.

At worst, you will kill a pedestrain/cyclist or /have a collision

Billy_Bullocks

Leave them to it, just be careful when pulling away from a green light.

C_Mababejive

Billy_Bullocks wrote: »

Leave them to it, just be careful when pulling away from a green light.

Indeed,,what more can you do? You can only drive your own vehicle as i can only drive mine,,but i do think its a societal thing,people in a mad rush/being driven by other pressures...i think we all need to breathe a little,,be more careful. I have seen the aftermath of RTA's and it isnt nice.

agrinnall

I'd agree that there seem to be more people in group B than there used to be, I saw it a couple of times in front of me when I was out in the car a couple of days ago, and that was just within a few miles of my home on a journey of around 30 minutes.

worried_jim

I jump a red every morning when I start at 05:30, after coming to a stop, if there is nothing coming, or behind me as I don't want someone to blindly follow, I drive on. Also when finishing late at night there is a left turn I often take on a red as again there is zero traffic- a bit like they do in the States for a right turn.

dannyrst

worried_jim wrote: »

I jump a red every morning when I start at 05:30, after coming to a stop, if there is nothing coming, or behind me as I don't want someone to blindly follow, I drive on. Also when finishing late at night there is a left turn I often take on a red as again there is zero traffic- a bit like they do in the States for a right turn.

Not having a go, just curious. Why have you taken the decision to do that?

Norman_Castle

C_Mababejive wrote: »

They come in a few categories..

a)The ones who simply dont see that there are traffic lights and rive right through

b)The ones who come up to the light and it has just changed and they just whip through anyway

c)The ones who are stopped at a red, get fed up and just go

I think its becoming commonplace. I would add to b people who drive through a red light to join a queue of cars waiting to turn right. This queue is delayed by other red light jumpers.

I've had a van driver outraged at me for stopping (easily) at a red light that he had expected to follow me through. A month ago as I stopped easily at a red light the car following me changed lane to overtake and accelerate through the red light.

Amber gambling has become, its only just gone red gambling.

warehouse

If it's getting that bad I'd suggest a dash cam.

Kalamazoo

Can't remember the last time I saw someone full on blow through a red.

Just as much amber gambling about as there's always been, but the only full on red light jumpers I see are pedal cyclists in the city.

thebigstillmeister

Just before Christmas I was travelling home with my wife and 2 year old son. I stopped at some traffic lights at a cross roads that go on to the A30. I said to my wife shall we cross straight over and go down the quiet country road which is more direct but slower or turn left and shoot down the carriage way,.. as the lights changed she was still deciding then said er, lets go straight on, this probably delayed me pulling away 3 or 4 seconds just as I got to where the actual roads cross I spotted two cars coming from the right travelling at what I assume was 50mph (speed limit for that A road) shoot straight through the lights pass the front of my car and continue down the road, no attempt to even stop, they must have just been following each other and not seen the lights or me? I spotted them at the last minute and slammed my brakes on,.. if I hadn't have paused those extra few seconds before pulling away they could have both hit the side of my car and probably the door next to my sons car seat,. very scary,

Nasqueron

Kalamazoo wrote: »

Can't remember the last time I saw someone full on blow through a red.

Just as much amber gambling about as there's always been, but the only full on red light jumpers I see are pedal cyclists in the city.

Not looking or just got lucky, it's probably a weekly thing for me to spot drivers doing it on motorway roundabouts. I could have been hit by a supermarket lorry at a roundabout that went through red so late our lane had been through amber to green for a couple of seconds before he even got to the line